


Another Winter Soldier

by Apricott10



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Brotherly/sisterly relationship, Bucky Barnes acts like a protective older brother, F/M, Fluff, Hydra (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Torture, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24688312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apricott10/pseuds/Apricott10
Summary: Steve and Bucky were sure that Zemo had killed all of the remaining Winter Soldiers in Siberia, but they were wrong. SHIELD finds and apprehends a teenage girl who they quickly determine to be another victim of the winter soldier program. of course, they call in the people with the most experience with the program, Steve Rogers and  Bucky Barnes.  Bucky works with her to get her back to who she was and the Avengers gain another super soldier.---------------This is a small AU. Civil War has happened but things have been cleaned up, and Tony still doesn't Forgive Bucky for killing his parents. Major Events of Avengers: Infinity War and beyond have not happened.Disclaimer: all characters except Alice Roscoe and her family members belong to Marvel Studios  and Sony PicturesI used Google Translate for the Russian, sorry if there are inaccuracies
Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes & Original Female Character, Natasha Romanoff & Original Female Character(s), Peter Parker & Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am still fairly new to Ao3 and I am still figuring out the settings and tags. I love comments and appreciate constructive criticism. Please let me know if there is something I can do to improve my writing. Thanks.

Bucky and Steve walk down the halls of the SHIELD headquarters. SHIELD had put itself back together after getting HYDRA out of its operations and was now back up and running, properly. 

"Did Nat tell you why she wanted me here?" Asked Bucky.

"Nope. Just said she wanted you here, and that it had something to do with HYDRA." Steve Responded. "That's why I'm here."

"You don't trust me not to become The Winter Soldier again?" Bucky Asked, frowning. Yeah, he still suffered from nightmares and flashbacks of his time with HYDRA but the Winter Soldier hadn't been triggered for over a year. 

"You know that's not true, Bucky. It's just a precaution." Said Steve, looking at his best friend with a look of pity that Bucky hated. 

Steve and Bucky picked up on the sound of heavy heels at the end of the empty corridor and a few seconds later the bright red-headed Natasha Romanoff turned a corned to meet the two super soldiers.

"There's the old men I know and love." Said Natasha with a smirk before giving both a friendly hug. 

"So what did you need me for?" Asked Bucky, wanting to get anything that had to do with HYDRA done and over with. 

"Yeah. Come on. Follow me." Said Natasha and Both Steve and Bucky followed her. as they walked Natasha spoke again. "Barnes, do you remember your time with HYDRA?"

Bucky sent a sideways glance at Steve before sighing. "Yes, most of it. Why?"

Natasha stopped and turned around in front of what appeared to be a frosted glass window. You couldn't see anything into the other room except light. 

"Do you remember the other Winter Soldiers?" Natasha Asked. 

Bucky Nodded, suspicious. "Yeah, but Zemo killed all of them. I'm the only one left." 

"Actually." Said Natasha as she flipped a switch on the wall. "We found one more."

The frosted glass cleared to show a girl, no older than 17 retrained in a moveable cell similar to the one Bucky had been put in. she wasn't wearing combat gear, only a pair of black jeans and a black tank top. Her hair was brown with tints of red and was in a braid that fell down past her waist. her eyes were a shocking shade of icy blue. her expression was hard, no emotion displayed. 

Bucky swallowed but his mouth had gone dry. She was so young. "What did they do to her." Bucky Asked without looking away from the girl.

"My guess is the usual for their soldiers. Torture, brain-washing, super serum, and a Metal prosthetic."

"I don't see any Metal limbs." Said Steve, stating the obvious. 

"Metal spine to improve flexibility. We assume while Bucky was trained to kill with brute force, she was trained to kill quietly, quickly, and cleanly." 

"Do you know who she is?" Bucky Asked, still not looking away from the girl. She was so young. Too young. To go through what Bucky knew she had. 

"From what we can find. Her name is Alice Mary-Anne Roscoe. born March 1930, died September 1947. Two older brothers, James and Walter Roscoe. Sargent James Roscoe was captured and killed behind enemy lines in 1944. Walter Roscoe died in 2005." Said Natasha, reading from the file in her hands. 

"You Said she died in 1947. How do you know it's the same person?" Asked Steve. 

Natasha pulled a photo out of the file and held it up for Steve to see. The girl in the photo had shorter hair but other than that the photo matched the girl in the cell perfectly.

"What are you gonna do with her?" Asked Bucky. 

"That's why I wanted you here. We've gotten through enough that she's not hostile anymore but we don't know how to break the rest of the programming, so I was wondering, Would you talk to her?"

This time, Bucky actually turned to look at Natasha. "You want me to talk to her?"

"I, just like most people, am pretty ignorant to what it's like to be a Winter Soldier. Except you and her. Without HYDRAs direct influence, you might be able to draw out who she really is. and if we can then she can then SHIELD can help her get started on a normal life, or she can join us. It never hurts to have another super soldier up our sleeve." Said Natasha. "Would you do that?"

Bucky and Steve shared a look before Bucky turned back to Natasha. "Yeah. I'll do it."

Natasha gave a small but confident smile. "Good. Would you be willing to do it now?" 

This time Bucky look at the girl. "Yeah, I can do that." 

Natasha didn't say anything else. She walked over to a keypad next to the metal door and punched in a code. Bucky heard the door release and Natasha pushed the door open, indicating for Bucky to go inside. Natasha handed him the File with the girls information before He walked in. As soon as Bucky stepped inside the room, Natasha closed the door behind him. 

The girls eyes darted to him, and Bucky noticed her visibly stiffen. Bucky watched the girls eyes look at him, then look at his exposed metal arm before, surprisingly, speaking first. 

"Зимний солдат(the Winter Soldier)." The girl said in fluent Russian. Her cold tone sent a shiver down his spine. 

Bucky glanced around the room and noticed a metal folding chair in the corner. Bucky picked up the chair and set it down about 4 feet in front of the girl. "ты знаешь кто я?(You know who I am?)" 

The girl actually scoffed at him. "Конечно я делаю, все делают. ты легенда(Of course I do, Everybody does. You're a legend." 

Bucky examined the girls face. Her blank expression had been replaced with a subtle smirk, and she didn't back down from making eye contact with Bucky. "Ты знаешь кто ты?(Do you know who you are?)"

The girls smirk vanished instantly and her eyes diverted to the floor. It took her a couple seconds to answer before she answered somberly "имущество(An asset.)" 

"ты знаешь свое имя?(Do you know your name?)" Bucky Asked, trying to sound more sympathetic. He really did feel bad for this girl. She was so young, and Bucky seriously wondered what type of girl he would meet if—when he broke through the HYDRA programming. 

"Это Алиса(It's Alice)" Said Bucky quietly. the girl look back up at him, her face was blank but Bucky could see a tinge if sadness in her eyes. Bucky knew the other soldiers memories weren't as heavily blocked as his was. It seemed deep down, this girl recognized her own name.

"кто такая Алиса?(Who's Alice?)" the girl asked.

"ты(you are)" 

The girl looked back at him, almost in confusion. "ты не зимний солдат, ты?(You're not the Winter Soldier, are you?)"

"я нет, но я был(I'm not, but I used to be)" Bucky said.

"кто ты теперь?(Who are you now?)"

"Меня зовут Баки, сейчас я работаю с Мстителями.(My name is Bucky. I work with the Avengers now.)"

"Мстители?(Avengers?)" the girl asked. She looked around the room, as though she was remembering something. "они послали меня за Мстителем. они хотели, чтобы я убил его(They sent me after an Avenger. They wanted me to kill him.)"

That was information. 

"кого они хотели, чтобы ты убил?(Who did they send you to kill?) Asked Bucky. This could be Important information. 

"Steven Rogers" the girl said in English.

They need to stop trying to kill Steve. They lose their soldiers every time they do. Bucky sighed. "ты все еще хочешь убить его?(Do you still want to kill him?)" 

Alice shook her head slightly. "нет, но я не знаю, кто я, где я, какой сейчас год, я даже не знаю, кто такой Стивен Роджерс.(No, but I don't know who I am, where I am, what year it is, I don't even know who Steve Rogers is!)" Said Alice.

Bucky recognized the girls panic. "ты в порядке, ты в безопасности(You're alright, you're safe." Said Bucky comfortingly. "Вы хотите, чтобы я помог вам вспомнить?(Do you want me to help you remember?)"

Alice seemed to think for a moment, as though she wasn't sure. but she nodded slightly. 

"Я сказал тебе твое имя, ты помнишь это?(I told you your name, do you remember it?)" 

The girl took a moment. "Alice." 

Bucky Nodded. "Прямо сейчас вы находитесь в штаб-квартире ЩИТ, и его 2019(Right now, you're in SHEILD headquarters, and it's 2019)

Alice Nodded. 

"Я сказал свое имя. ты помнишь это?(i Said my name. Do you remember that?)" Bucky asked slowly 

Alice looked down for a second. "Bucky, Правильно?(Right?)" 

Bucky gave Alice a smile. "да, как насчет того, чтобы попытаться вспомнить эти вещи. (Yup, how about you try to remember those things?" Bucky said standing up from his chair. "Алиса, ЩИТ, 2019, Баки(Alice, SHIELD, 2019, Bucky.)" 

"Алиса, ЩИТ, 2019, Баки(Alice, SHIELD, 2019, Bucky)" Alice repeated. 

Bucky smiled. "увидимся завтра, Алиса(see you tomorrow, Alice.)"

Alice Nodded and Bucky slipped from the room. Natasha and Steve turned to look at Bucky as he left the room. 

"Well, that went way better than I expected." Said Natasha, smiling.

"Did it?" Asked Steve. "I don't speak Russian and the only English words I heard in there were "Alice", "Bucky", and "Steven Rogers". Why did she say my name? Natasha won't tell me." 

Bucky smirked. "HYDRA reallywants you dead Steve. They keep sending soldiers after you, and it never seems to work."

Natasha and Bucky both chuckled at Steve's stunned expression. 

"I should learn Russian." Said Steve.

"No, then Bucky and I can't talk trash about you behind your back, yet right in front of your face." Whined Natasha.

Steve looked at Bucky. 

"Traitor."


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky went back to SHIELD headquarters the next morning. He punched the release code that Natasha had given him into the panel and stepped inside the room. 

Alice turned to look at him. "ваша спина.(You're back.)" Her expression was blank but Bucky saw recognition in her eyes. 

Bucky gave her a small smile. "что я, как я и сказал(That I am, just like I Said)"

Alice returned the smile slightly. Bucky took notice to the restraints that held her down. Her forearms and shins were completely covered in metal and she had two metal straps that crossed across her chest.

"Ты помнишь, что я просил вспомнить вчера?(Do you remember what I asked you to remember yesterday?)" Bucky Asked. 

"Alice, SHIELD, 2019, Bucky" she responded in English. 

"Я дал вам эти слова на русском языке, вы помните английский?(I gave you those words in Russian, are you remembering some English?)"

"немного(a little bit)" she responded.

"хороший(good.)" Bucky gave her another small smile, one she returned. 

\- - - - - - - - -

That continued over the next 2 months . Bucky would go in and talk with Alice. He'd help her remember the small details and she'd remember other things. He told her she had two brothers, she remembered their names. she got most of her English back, and she was almost back to herself. SHIELD had moved her to more of a traditional cell with a bed and a bathroom and freedom to move around. Obviously, she liked it a lot better.

Bucky walked into her room, just like he did almost every morning. Alice smiled at him from the edge of her grey bed. "Hey Bucky."

"Hey Alice, how you doing?" Bucky smiled back at her. And sat down on a chair in the Corner

"Good. I remembered something last night." 

"Yeah? What was it?" 

"Steve." 

Bucky cocked an eyebrow. "You met Steve last week. is that what you mean?"

"No" Alice shook her head. "I think, I met him once, when I was 13. I saw his tour with my brother and his girlfriend, they snuck off sometime during it so I was just gonna head home. I ran into him after, and he gave me his autograph." 

Bucky chuckled at the memory of Steve's ridiculous costume. "The costume was awful, wasn't it?" 

Alice laughed lightly. "Yeah, a little bit." 

"But I have something i want to talk to you about."

Alice looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?" 

"Okay so...you've been here for about 2 months. we haven't had any recent issues with flashbacks. I'll go ahead and tell you, you'll probably never be truly free from them, i still get flashbacks, and panic attacks, and Nightmares, but they do get better over time."

Alice Nodded. "Yeah, I kinda knew that already." She said, her tone solemn. 

"But Natasha and I have talked with SHIELD, and we agree that you're no longer a danger to the public. So, that means that if you're okay with it, they're going to release you next week." 

Alice looked at him for moment. "What does that mean?"

"Well you have two options, and it's completely up to you. Option one, is that SHIELD can set you up in an apartment, maybe I lower level job with them, and you can live as normal of a life that you can manage."

Alice Nodded again. "Okay. What's option two?"

"Option two. Steve is offering a spot for you with the Avengers." Bucky noticed Alice's eyes widen slightly. "you can move into the complex, train with us, it will probably be a little bit before everyone will feel comfortable sending you on a mission, but you'd do that eventually. That would be that." 

"He...he wants me on the team?" Alice Asked, sounding like she didn't believe what Bucky was telling her. 

"Yeah. He does. I do. Natasha does. so, if that's what you wanna do, all you have to do is say yes." Bucky Smiled at her. He didn't want to influence her decision, but he did truly think she'd make a good addition to the team. Or it just felt good to have someone who fully understood what he went through with HYDRA. 

Alice smiled back at him. "Yes. Yes I want to be an Avenger." She wasn't about to tell him it was because she had to make up for all the lives she cost. 

Bucky smiled at her, stood up and held out a hamd. Alice also stood up and took his handshake. "Great, I'll tell Steve. Alice Roscoe, Welcome to the Avengers."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter had very awkward writing, sorry. Also, Tony is kinda a jerk.

Even if she had been a previously brainwashed, highly trained, Russian hydra assassin, that didn't stop Alice of being positively terrified of meeting the other Avengers. Sure, she'd met Bucky, and Natasha, and Steve and they all wanted her on the team, but what if the other members didn't like her? She couldn't join then could she?

Bucky noticed Alice with a terrified look on her face and slowly, making sure not to startle her, wrapped his flesh arm around her shoulders. she was much thinner and shorter than Bucky, it certainly was not obvious she had been injected with Super serum. Maybe it affected females differently? But that didn't stop him from offering that small gesture of comfort. 

"Listen, most of the Avengers have a past, hell, over half of us are ex-assassins and military. Clint always says it best. We don't judge people on their worst mistakes. Most of them won't hold it against you."

"Most?"

Bucky sighed. He was comforting her, but he wasn't gonna lie to her. "Tony has something specific against The Winter Soldiers. he might jump to conclusions based on what I've done." 

"What did you do?" Alice Asked. Bucky knew that she wouldn't judge him, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't like saying it out loud. 

Bucky sighed. "I...kinda...killed his parents."

"False."

Bucky looked down at her. "What?"

She gave him an unimpressed stare. "I don't think there's anyone else who knows better that who you are and the person HYDRA put in your body are not the same person. Youdid not kill his parents. The Winter Soldier did...totally different."

Bucky Chuckled. "Yeah, alright."

"Oh...one question. Who's Tony?"

Bucky actually laughed that time. "Do you remember Howard Stark? Or does Stark industries ring a bell?" 

"Yeah, who does- didn't know what Stark Industries was?"

"Yeah...his name is Tony Stark...he kinda owns Stark industries now. He's Howard Starks son."

Alice stared at him and blinked for a second. "Oh. Okay." 

Bucky gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Yeah."

"Still not your fault."

That's when Natasha ducked out of the room they had been standing outside of. "You guys ready?" 

Both Ex-Winter Soldiers nodded and Natasha led them inside. The room wasn't a formal conference room. There were 4 couches all around a small coffee table. Natasha quickly took her spot in between Steve and another guy. 

There was one empty couch so Bucky and Alice both sat down on it. Bucky didn't put his arm around her again, knowing how nosy his teammates were and not wanting them to get the wrong idea off the bat. 

"So...guys." Bucky begin. "This is Alice, she's another Ex-Winter soldier and the newest member of our team."

"Who's parents did she kill?" Said the person who Alice assumed was Tony. 

"Tony!" Scolded a number of people in the room, including Bucky, Steve, and Natasha. Alice sunk into the couch just a little bit. 

"Tony. You can blame me as much as you want for your parents death." Said Bucky, and held a finger up to Steve as he was about to object. "Just don't pin it on someone who wasn't even part of the event." 

Tony pursed his lips but didn't say anything.

"Alright. That's enough of this Cat fight. Let's just introduce ourselves" Said a guy, who was sitting on the arm of the couch Steve, Natasha, And the other guy were sitting on. "Hi Alice, nice to meet you, I'm Sam, or the Falcon."

Alice gave him the best smile she could manage, which he returned. 

The guy who was sitting on the couch with Steve and Natasha cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm Clint, or Hawkeye."

Steve and Natasha Both responded with "you already met us."

A girl with brown hair on the next couch and gave Alice an honest, friendly smile "I'm Wanda, the public knows me as Scarlett witch."

A guy with glasses that was sitting on the couch gave her a small smile over his glasses. "I'm Bruce, and I turn into the Hulk." 

Someone who was sitting on the couch with Tony and a teenage boy smiled also. "I'm James, but everyone calls me Rhodey, and I'm War machine." 

Tony huffed. "I'm Tony. I'm Iron man" 

"And I'm Peter Parker." The teenager said eagerly. 

"He's Spider-Man." Filled In Steve.

"Hey!" Said the boy indignantly

"It wouldn't take her long to figure it out, Parker. You live with the Avengers, Even your "Stark internship" excuse wouldn't work."

Peter Huffed, But he didn't seem really that angry. 

"And you already know me, obviously." Said Bucky with a honest smile. "And we have quite a few other members that don't live in the Compound, but you'll meet them eventually." 

Alice Nodded. "Alright. Uh...like Bucky said a little while ago. I'm Alice...I'm an Ex-Winter Soldier. As far as I know, I didn't kill any of your parents. I don't really have a super hero name and winter soldier is already taken so I'll figure that out eventually. And I'm really excited to join the team, if you'll have me that is." Alice Said quickly, with an awkward chuckle. 

"We're excited to have you too. And don't worry about a name. Most of us didn't come up with out names." Said Steve. ""Captain America" was a publicity stunt, "Falcon" And "Black Widow" were the programs they were a part of. The media came up with "Ironman" and "Spider-Man". Someone will come up with something."

Alice Nodded. 

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking. How old are you?" Asked Peter.

Everyone turned to look at Peter. 

"Uh...I'm 17." Said Alice, not sure where this was going. 

"What month?" Peter Asked again.

"March." 

"Dang it! I'm still the youngest avenger." Peter Said, sinking back down in the couch. 

"Peter, you do realize that the only people here who are actually older than her are Cap and Bucky." Said Natasha. "She's 89." 

"I am?" 

"Talking about the time from when you were born to today. It would make you 89. But because you spent a lot of that time in a cryogenic chamber, your still physically 17." 

"Huh." Said Alice. 

"Okay. So does anyone have an issue with her joining the team?" 

"Yes." Said Tony.

Everyone sighed exasperatedly

"Tony. Can you come with a legitimate, logical reason why she shouldn't join the team." Said Steve calmly. 

Tony glared at Steve for a moment before he grumbled a "no."

"Ok!" Said Bucky, clearly just done with Tony's attitude. "Alice, do you want to see your room?" 

Alice Nodded. Bucky got up and walked out into the hallway, Alice followed. 

"So...uh...is that just how he is?" Alice Asked quietly. 

"Who? Tony?" 

"Yeah..."

Bucky sighed. "Yeah. He's still pretty salty. Everyone's gotten over it, he's forgiven everyone but me. honestly, I don't blame him, but He shouldn't take it out on you." 

Alice Nodded silently as he led her into an elevator. "FRIDAY? Residential floor please." He said to the ceiling.

"Who are yo-"

"Of course, Sargent Barnes." Said a female voice from...somewhere.

Alice jumped and looked around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. 

"Oh yeah." Said Bucky as though he just remembered something. "That's FRIDAY. She's Tony's A.I., you can basically ask her anything."

"Technology is weird." Said Alice under her breath but Bucky still heard it. 

"Yeah...I don't disagree." Bucky chuckled. 

The elevator pinged and the doors slid open to reveal a hall way that stretched both directions. Bucky turned right and they passed a couple doors before Bucky opened one. 

Bucky opened the door and let Alice walk inside before he walked in behind her. 

"So this your room."

Alice looked around. It looked like it had been pre-decorated. There was a bed with a simple blue and white striped bed spread. There were some empty shelves and a desk. a small blue rug on the floor. And it was huge compared to what Alice had been expecting. 

"Whoa...this is huge." Said Alice. 

Bucky smiled. "Yeah. Tony is really extra. We all have walk-in closets and personal bathrooms."

"Yeah...I'm pretty sure this room is the size of my apartment back in the day."

"Yeah, probably. If you lived in an apartment like the ones Steve and I lived in, I'd guess that would be an accurate statement."

The first think Alice did was flop onto the bed. The mattress and comforter almost swallowed her. It was so comfortable. So much better than the mattress she had while imprisoned with SHIELD, and way better than a cryogenic chamber. 

"This is so nice." Alice breathed out, closing her eyes. She hadn't realized how tired she was. Well, I guess she hadn't had a good nights sleep for over 70 years, cryosleep didn't really count.

"Hey, before you fall asleep." Said Bucky, Who was still standing by the door. Alice lifted her head up so she could see him. "Dinner's at 6 And it's Steve's turn to cook. He's the best chef in the tower, not gonna lie."

"Okay, sounds good. Is it alright if I take a quick nap?" Alice Said, her eyes already drifting shut. 

She still heard Bucky chuckle. "Yeah, of course. FRIDAY? Lights at 10%."

Alice could see the room darken through her eyelids and just heard the door click shut before she was long gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Alice was standing in the crowd with Walter, her older brother. The presentation of the "flying car" was over and they were looking at a bunch of weird tech things. 

"Walter, I still can't believe you got us tickets to the Stark Expo!" Alice said excitedly. 

Walter smiled. "I know. thought it would be nice, just you and me."

Alice eyes went down for a moment as the thought washed back over her. "Hey Walter?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think James is gonna be alright? Are you gonna be alright?"

Walter turned around to look at her, a sympathetic look on his face. "I don't know, Alice."

"I mean, mom and pops are already gone. What if you and James die out there, and I'm just here? Alone."

Walter sighed and pulled his little sister to his chest. "Your gonna be just fine, Alice. No matter what happens. You're smart and pretty. You'll find a husband and everything will be alright." 

Alice looked around for moment. "You stay here Walt, I'm just going to go to the bathroom real quick." 

Walter Nodded And Alice walked briskly towards the bathroom sign. She weaved her way the best she could threw the people but not well enough as she felt someone knock into her. she tried to stay upright but her balanced ultimately failed and she felt onto the hard ground. 

Alice looked up and saw a man. He was very small and thin. Not a lot bigger than Alice herself. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry." He said and offered her a hand, which she took, and pulled her back to her feet. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." 

"It's fine." She said. "I was careless."

"Steve!" Someone called from about 10 feet away. Then a man came up behind "Steve". He was in a full military uniform, an identical one to the one James wore. So he was a Sargent. 

"Steve? What happened?" he asked. "You just disappeared on me." 

"I'm fine." He Said shrugging away his friends hand. 

The Sargent hadn't seemed to have noticed Alice, as he grabbed Steve's arm and pulled him away. Steve cast an apologetic look over his shoulder before him and the Sargent disappeared into the crowd.

——————————

a gentle knock woke Alice. she noticed the lights were brighter than Bucky had set them before she fell asleep. She looked over and saw Steve standing in the door frame. 

"Hey Alice, dinners almost ready." He said.

Alice thought back to the dream she had just had. That was how she had gotten most of her memories back, was through dreams. Although sometimes things like names or random details she'd remember, the full memories she got in dreams. Sometimes she'd relive something she'd already remembered, other times it was new, like that one. 

But the men in that dream. Alice thought of the shorter man in the dream and looked at Steve's face. Steve.And FRIDAY had addressed Bucky as "Sargent" earlier.

"Steve." She Said, climbing out of bed. 

"Yeah?" 

"You used to be small. Shorter and thinner, almost like me." She Said. Steve stepped into the hallway and Alice followed.

Steve looked at her and gave her a weird look. "Yeah. I was. How did you know that?"

"You accidentally knocked me onto the ground at the Stark Expo In 1942."

Steve looked at her. "that was you?"

"Yeah, I was 12. I was there with my brother before he got shipped off to England the next morning." 

"That's why Bucky and I were there too. Bucky was headed off to England the next morning also. What infantry was he? Your brother I mean."

Alice had to think about it. She ran through everything she'd managed to remember about Walter. "107th...I think." She Said, But she wasn't sure.

Steve chuckled. "That was Bucky's too. Small world, wasn't it?"

Alice Nodded. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to you? I know the whole super serum part. But how are you...here? And Bucky too?"

She asked as they both stepped into the elevator. "Bucky fell of a train into a canyon, HYDRA picked him up, gave him the arm and turned him into the Winter Soldier. I crashed a Nazi jet carrying bombs to the US into the arctic, froze over, they found me 70 years later." 

"How did you find Bucky?"

"He tried to kill Director Fury, then tried to kill me. that's how I knew he was alive. I found him a couple years later in Romania, it gets a bit messy after that."

Alice Nodded, taking the hint he didn't want to explain anymore. The elevator dinged and they stepped off, Alice could immediately hear the team talking in the kitchen. Steve and Alice walked into the kitchen. Alice could smell something delicious cooking in the oven. Sam, Tony, Bruce, and Rhodey were leaned against the island chatting. While Bucky, Natasha, Peter, Wanda And Clint were already sitting at the table. Bucky noticed Alice and waved her over while Steve continued making dinner. Bucky pulled out a chair in between him and Natasha, and Peter across the Table from her. Wanda was on Peter's side, with Clint on Wanda's other side. 

Alice sat up straight, hands in her lap, just letting the conversation happen around her. After spending a minute staring at her hands she glanced up for a second and was surprised to make eye-contact with Peter. Peter gave her a kind smile, it seemed he had been edged out of his conversation with Wanda and was also sitting at the table idly. 

"It's alright, I know it's a lot. You'll get used to it." He offered. 

Alice chuckled nervously. "Y-Yeah. I was never good in social situations, didn't help being in ice for 70 years."

Peter chuckled. "Yeah, don't worry, I'm not that great either. I usually either talk too much or stutter so much I can barley get a word out." 

Both teenagers laughed quietly together. "So wait, Steve said earlier you were "Spider-Man". What does that mean?"

Peter chuckled again. "Long story, short? I was bitten by a radioactive spider and got superpowers. Super strength, enhanced senses, improved healing factor and metabolism, and I can stick to walls." 

"Other than the "sticking to walls" part, kinda just sounds like a super soldier."

"Well, not to brag, but I know my skills are more advanced than a super soldiers. My metabolism is about the same, but my healing factor is better. and I know I'm physically stronger than Steve, but he's more experienced. I still can't beat Bucky's metal arm, but that's besides the point." He said and Alice Nodded with a smile. 

"That's actually kinda cool." She Said. 

"Yeah, Maybe when they start training you, I could spar with you. See how you hold up against The amazing Spider-Man" Peter said his hero name in an exaggerated heroic voice. 

Alice laughed. "Yeah, we'll see." 

Peter seemed really nice, she normally would have thought someone who treated her so nice wanted something, or was tricking her in some way but there was something in his soft brown eyes that told Alice she could trust him. 

"How long have you been with the Avengers?" Asked Alice.

"Around 2 years." He said. Peter felt kinda bad for only talking about himself, but she seemed interested and he knew that if he asked about her, she probably wouldn't remember the answers to a lot of them. 

"Dinners up!" Said Steve. Clint, Natasha and Wanda immediately got up from the table and formed a line with the others. Alice was about to get up when she noticed Peter and Bucky still sitting.

"You guys aren't eating?" ask Asked, kinda confused.

"Oh." Said Peter. "When there's limited amount, like a tray of something, everyone with a normal metabolism gets to get they're piece first then those of us with really fast metabolisms get to split what's left. There's almost never left overs here." 

"Right...so I stay here?" She Said.

"You can go up. No ones gonna judge you, it's your first night here." Said Bucky.

Alice stayed seated and smiled. "I'll wait." 

After every normal human had gotten their plates Steve spoke up. "Alright, Bucky, Peter, Alice. Come up here." 

The three of them got up from the Table and joined Steve at the island. there was around 2/3 of the lasagna left. Steve cut it into 4 pieces and dished them out before taking one. The other three each grabbed a plate and sat down at the table. 

Alice spent Dinner chatting with her new teammates, but mostly with Peter. She didn't expect anyone to treat her as nice as Peter did. It was nice to know she had a friend. Yeah, she should be just fine here.


	5. Chapter 5

Alice laid in bed, staring at the blank ceiling. Maybe it was the new bed, or new environment, or being surrounded by new people, but she just couldn't sleep. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep. She had an idea. She sighed and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She glanced at the table on the nightstand. 11:46. No one should still be up right?

Alice stood up and slipped on the slippers the had found earlier. She opened her door as quietly as possible and glanced down the hallway, there were lights on under one of the doors, but she could sneak past that. She was an assassin for Pete's sake. 

She snuck past the door, no problem and stepped into the elevator...that was already open. That's odd. She stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind her. There were no buttons in the elevator. 

"Miss Roscoe? Where would you like to go?" Asked the voice from earlier. She still jumped.

"Um...the roof please?" She Asked uncertainly 

"Of course, Miss." the voice replied. 

Alice felt the elevator move up. 

"Um...miss elevator lady? What are you?" She asked on the way up. 

"I am an Artificial Intelligence device created by Tony Stark to service Stark Industries and the Avengers Compound as a replacement for his previous AI, Jarvis. You can call me FRIDAY."

"Thank you...Friday?"

"Of course Miss." 

The elevator gave a quiet ping. the cool night breeze hit her face. She took a step out of the elevator. She looked up and found just what she was looking for. The stars. They were more beautiful then she remembered from when she was younger. up on the roof with James, He'd taught her all the constellations. it was one of the first things she'd managed to get back after HYDRA, and the most valuable memory she'd remembered. 

"Alice?" 

Alice stiffened instantly. she reached for the pocket knife that she didn't have. She was unarmed. 

She saw a small light glow from where she guessed was the edge of the roof. a small rectangle glowing with soft blue light. 

It lit up Peter's face. She relaxed, it was just Peter. 

"Alice? What are you doing up here?"

Alice walked over and sat on the edge of the roof next to him. "I could ask you the same thing." She gave him a small smile. "I used the look at the stars with my brother when we couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep, but he's gone now, he's been gone since 1944. I thought maybe I could come here, and pretend I was still that girl. No war, no Hydra, no Avengers. Just me."

"I know how you feel." He said.

"You do?"

"Yeah, before I got bit by the spider, before I met Tony or joined the Avengers. I would go up on the roof with my Uncle Ben, He taught me the constellations. I like to think he's up there now. He was shot and killed when I was 14, 2 weeks after I was bit. I knew I couldn't let that happen to anyone else, that's when I became Spider-Man." He said solemnly.

"How did you end up with the Avengers? You know, being 17 and all." 

"Uh, it started about 3 years ago. 6 months after I became Spider-Man. There was this thing called the Sokovia Accords. The team disagreed about what to do with the accords, and split. This was also right after Steve got Bucky away from HYDRA. Steve ran off with Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Clint And this guy named Scott who you haven't met yet. Tony Recruited me to fight against them and we got in the big fight at an airport in Germany. After that I continued being Spider-Man until Tony decided I was ready and offered my a spot with the Avengers. Eventually the accords issue got patched up and the Avengers are now back together and stronger than ever."

"I guess that's good for everyone. Civilians still have their heroes, you guys have a strong team, plus I don't want to think about what SHIELD would have done with me if Bucky wasn't there."

Peter Nodded And suddenly scooted a couple feet away from Alice. For a moment, Alice was hurt before he simply laid down with his head about a foot from where she was sitting. Alice chuckled and laid down too, her hair almost touching Peter's.

They were quiet for a while before Peter broke the calm silence. "Do you have a favorite constellation?" He Asked quietly. 

"I'd have to say Cassiopeia. A queen on her throne, ruling over the stars." She Said, without much hesitation. "What about you?"

"I think Orion. Hunter and Warrior, forever imprisoned in the stars for his acts." 

"Why's that?" 

"I'm not sure, I think it's reminder to not follow his path. Help where you can, try not to focus on where you couldn't." He spoke softly. 

"That's a good moral. I never thought of it that way."

Alice wasn't sure how long they laid under the stars and chatted. But it was peaceful, quiet, maybe even safe. She didn't even notice when she drifted off. 

——————————

Alice blinked awake. The first thing she registered was that she was freezing. It took her a moment to remember how she ended up on the roof. The sun was just starting to peak over the tree line. She guessed it was about 5 in the morning. How could it be colder in the morning than at night? She turned to look over her shoulder, Peter was still there, dead asleep with his arm hanging over the edge of the roof. Thank god she didn't move in her sleep. 

Alice sighed and flipped her feet over onto the lower part of the roof, she rubbed her arms trying to keep herself warm. She tapped Peter on the arm. "Peter." She whispered. "Peter, wake up." She whispered a bit louder.

"Mmmm, five more minutes May" Peter groaned. 

Alice smiled. "Peter, I'm not May. We need to go back downstairs before someone catches us up here."

Peter opened his eyes and settled on Alice. He sat upright quickly. "Oh, sorry Alice."

Alice chuckled quietly. "It fine, but we should probably get back to our rooms before people get up."

"What time is it?"

"I'm not sure, 5 o'clock?"

"Oh, yeah. We're to late. Sam and Steve get up at five to run laps." Said Peter, laying back down with an arm over his eyes, 

"Ok, I'm not staying up here. It's too cold." She whispered. "I'm going inside. Coffee still exists right?"

"Yeah, Coffee still exists. Did you expect it to not be cold?"

"No, not really, it's only September." She Said and started walking towards the elevator.

"It's almost December." 

Alice stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"It's November 29th." 

Alice sighed. "Okay, can you help me figure out the coffee machine?"

"Yeah, no problem." He said and stood up. Both teens stepped into the elevator.

"Was there a reason you couldn't sleep last night?" Alice Asked quietly.

Peter sighed. "Nightmares." 

"Do you mind if I ask what of?" 

"It's usually a blended mess. My parents dying, uncle Ben dying, nearly drowning, getting a building dropped on me, Tony, Aunt May, or my friends dying and I couldn't save them."

"I'm sorry about you're Parents and your uncle."

"Thanks, But what about yours? I guess they must all be gone now."

"My whole Family except my brother was already gone before I ended up with HYDRA. My Dad died early in the war. My mom was a nurse, got sick and couldn't shake it. My Oldest Brother captured and killed by the Nazis in 1944. I only had one person to mourn." 

"I'm sorry about them."

"It's alright." She gave him a small, shy smile. "I think I've got a new family now."


	6. Chapter 6

Alice sat on a barstool at the kitchen island with a warm mug of coffee in her hands. Peter, Naturally, had a glass of Hot Chocolate that he was sipping on. Steve and Sam had returned from their jog a while ago, not really bothering to question them and had disappeared to meet Bucky and Natasha for training. 

"So," Peter Said as he broke the comfortable silence. "You've been here for about 24 hours. How do you feel?"

"I think this will be good. I don't know how helpful I'll be on missions, but I'm sure I'll learn." She shrugged.

"Miss Roscoe?" Came FRIDAY's voice again. Alice still jumped, splashing a small amount of her coffee onto the counter, she heard Peter give a poorly hidden snort into his Hot chocolate.

Alice sighed. "Yes?"

"Miss Romanoff And Sergeant Barnes are requesting your presence in the gymnasium." 

"Alright." She Said and stood up from the barstool before stopping in her tracks. She turned around to face Peter. "Can you show me how to get to the gymnasium?" She Asked sweetly. 

Peter Chuckled. "Of course."

Peter stood up and started out of the kitchen. Alice looked from the mugs still sitting on the counter and back to Peter.

"Shouldn't we wash those first?"

"Nah" Said Peter, waving a hand in dismissal and a mischievous look on his face.

Alice smiled and Followed him out into the hallway and onto the elevator. 

"Training floor" Said Peter and Elevator started going down. 

"Is it weird that they want me to meet them in the gymnasium?" Asked Alice

"Nah, they're probably testing you."

Alice swallowed nervously. "What do you mean 'testing me'?"

Peter gave a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine. They probably just want to know how well you can fight."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Alice took a deep breath and stepped off the elevator with Peter. Alice could easily spot Natasha, Bucky and Steve on the other side of the large room. they were standing next to what appeared to be a boxing ring. 

Peter and Alice crossed the room to meet the three adults.

Natasha smirked. "How was your morning with Peter?" 

Alice suddenly had a bad idea. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "было здорово. он такой милый (it was great. He's so nice.)"

Alice could see Peter looking slightly panicked out of the corner of her eye. Steve looked worried. 

Bucky Frowned. "было здорово, он такой милый (that's great, I'm glad you guys get along)"

Natasha sighed with a frown. 

Steve looked between the other people in the room. "That bad, huh?" He Asked, disappointed. 

"What?" Said Peter, looking sad. 

"Okay that's enough. She's just messing with you kid, she said it went great." Smiled Bucky, patting Peter on the shoulder. 

Steve shook his head but smiled at his friends immaturity. "Queens, one day you and I are gonna learn Russian so they can't mess with us anymore." 

"Sure thing, Cap" Said Peter, looking relieved that Alice didn't think poorly of him. "I have to go meet Tony in the Lab. I'll see you guys later."

Peter then turned and jogged out of the gym. Alice turned to look back at the adults standing around her. "Okay, what'd you need me for."

"We're just gonna try you out, see what we need to do in terms of training before we can get you going on missions." Said Bucky. "Just gonna have you spar with Steve, and we'll see how it goes."

"Sounds good, but one question." Said Alice. 

"Yeah?"

"You do realize HYDRA expected me to kill Steve, and they definitely knew Captain America wasn't about to go down without a fight."

Bucky, Steve and Natasha paused for a moment and glanced at each other. 

Natasha shrugged "That was with the element of surprise on your side, we'll see how this goes."

"Alright." Alice shrugged and ducked under the rope.

Steve stood on the opposite end of the ring. 

"Ok." Started Natasha "your goal is to knock the other over, as soon as one of you is on the ground the round is over. Steve's gonna go easy on you this time, until we can gage you."

Alice chuckled and nodded her head. She looked at Steve. "Trust me, you don't need to go easy on me. I got this."

"Begin!" Shouted bucky From the sidelines. 

Steve had taken only a step from his position before Alice was there to meet him. Steve made an obvious grab for her waist. An easy way to flip her, but he should have known it wasn't gonna be that easy. Alice caught Steve's hand, she made a quick move to hold his arm behind his back at an uncomfortable angle. She jammed her leg into the back of Steve's knees, causing them to buckle and him to fall forward onto his knees. She kicked his back, forcing him down onto his stomach and put a foot on his back, claiming victory.

Alice brushed the hair out of her face and stepped off Steve's back. 

"Wow, that was pretty impressive." Said Bucky. 

"Not all that difficult though. He made his move obvious, and therefore easy to block and exploit. He was unarmed and he underestimated me." Alice smiled. 

"Well, I guess you won't need much training, just practice" Said Natasha. 

"Cool." Alice nodded and ducked under the rope so she was on the same side as Bucky and Natasha. "Anything else you need from me."

"Can we see how far you can bend with that metal spine of yours?" Asked Steve, now standing. 

Alice shrugged "sure."

Alice leaned back until her hands were on the floor, then bent until her arms, shoulders, and head were in between in her legs, without her feet moving from there spot. "Uh, this is about as far as I can go, and this kinda hurts." She Said, her voice a bit strained. 

"Ok, you can go back to normal, your freaking me out." Said Bucky and Alice returned to normal. 

"Okay, that it?" Alice Asked.

"Yup, you're good. But we're gonna practice more so we can get you going on missions." Said Steve

"Cool, I'm gonna go find Peter. He said he'd give me a tour today." Smiled alice before she jogged to get on the elevator. 

The second the elevator door closed Natasha turned to look at Bucky and Steve. "20 Bucks says Her and Peter start dating within 6 months."

"I'll take that" smirked Bucky. 

"Doesn't Peter have a girlfriend?" Questioned Steve

"No, She broke up with him cause he was always busy and he couldn't tell her that he was Spider-man, But Alice already knows. Plus they'd be so cute together." Said Natasha excitedly.

"They've known each other 2 days and you guys are already putting them in a boat?" Said Steve, exasperated. 

"You mean shipping?" Corrected Natasha and Bucky in unison. 

Steve rolled his eyes. "Yes, that. I'll see you guys later." He said and strolled out of the gymnasium.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Panic Attacks, reference torture, nightmares
> 
> Ps. I’ve never personally had a panic attack, I’m really sorry for any mistakes.

Over the next couple months Alice got more used to being in the compound, and she learned a lot about what had changed in 70 years, safe to say, it was a lot. Peter had taught her how to use the internet, showed her what type of music they had now, and short clips called vines that her and Peter spent the whole day quoting, much to the teams annoyance. But they most fascinating part for her were the smart phones. Peter had showed her how to use his and she would never admit it, but she was the reason he kept "losing" his phone then finding it again in the most random places. She'd also been sparring with Natasha and Bucky, though she had yet to be approved by Steve for missions. Steve had been teaching her the Avenger's protocols and codes, Friday's Alerts, and other Avenger-y things. She'd gotten to know the other members of the team, Wanda and her had hit it off, Clint and Sam also liked having her around. 

—————

Alice shuffled into her room closing the door quietly behind her. She'd had a late evening sparring session with Bucky after dinner, and she was exhausted. She flopped down on her bed, not even bothering to change or shower. She was asleep within minutes. 

Alice layed on a metal table, the cold temperature seeping into her skin. she tried to move her head, tried to sit up, tried to talk, but she couldn't. She couldn't move. 

Suddenly a face appeared above her, one she recognized. But not from her own personal experience, from the newspaper. Dr. Arnim Zola. 

He smiled, far too gently for a man like him. "Don't be surprised that you can't move, your spine vas severed. Don't worry, you'll be able to valk again soon enough."

—————

Alice stood across the room from someone she'd feared for the six months she'd been locked in a hydra base. They'd already attempted to wipe her several times but it hadn't quite stuck yet. The rigid metal of her new spine still hurt as it poked at the skin on her back from the inside. 

The winter soldier, the original winter soldier, stood across from her. 

"борьба(fight)" Commanded the agent. 

The Winter soldier marched forward and it only took him a few seconds to have his metal arm wrapped around her throat too tightly for her to breathe. she clawed at the metal, trying desperately to get air into her lungs.

"Soldat! выпуск (Soldier! Release.)" Commanded the same agent.

The Winter Soldier released Alice as she crumpled to the floor, panting as she tried to get air in her lungs again.

—————

Several agents were strapping her down as a familiar face smiled down at her evilly. It was her main handler, Agent Warf. 

"безопасный. (Secure.)" Stated the agent to her left as he tightened the strap around her left arm. 

"хорошо. протри ее. (Good. Wipe her.)" Said Agent Warf as he walked out of the room. 

Unbearable, heart stopping pain wracked Alices body as she screamed into the gag, and they had wiped the soldier once again.

——————————  
Alice shot upright in bed, beads of sweat rolling down her face and making her clothes stick to her clammy skin. She could see her whole body shaking. Her breathing was labored and shaky. 

She waited for a few minutes for her breathing to even out and her Heartbeat to slow down. She could see early morning sun light peeking in through the blinds. Alice got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, her eyes specifically avoiding the mirror. She already knew she looked bad, she didn't want to see it. 

Alice Took a quick shower, rinsing of all the sweat from the previous nights sparring session and her nightmare. Except it wasn't just a nightmare, it was a memory.

Alice got dressed in a long black skirt and pale yellow blouse, and braided her hair in the same braid she'd worn everyday since joining the team. She had been briefly mocked by members of the team for her sense of style. One of the things she had the hardest time adapting too was the young girls lack of modesty in this century.

Alice headed to the kitchen. She could still feel the weakness in her legs, from the physical exhaustion or the nightmare she didn't know. Alice walked in to the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge, pulling out a water bottle and quickly downing about a fourth of the liquid. She hadn't even noticed Sam, Steve, and Bucky sitting at the bar.

"Mornin'" Said Sam, Startling Alice so much that she spilled almost half the water bottle onto the floor. 

Sam smiled. "Somebody didn't sleep well last night." both him and Steve chuckled at that.

But Bucky saw something his two friends didn't. The look on Alices face wasn't just surprise, it was fear, real fear.

Suddenly Alices eyes flicked to Bucky's face. He could see her breathing becoming slightly more labored. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Bucky's face and his metal arm. Then Alice bolted out of the kitchen and down the hall, leaving the nearly empty water bottle on the counter. 

Alice wasn't thinking clearly. If she had been, she would have dashed up the steps to her room. But instead she ended up in an empty conference room. She sat the far corner of the dark room, her legs pulled up to her chest as tightly as she could. She couldn't breathe. All she could think about was Bucky's arm wrapped around her throat. Tears streamed town her face and broken sobs came from her throat. 

The door the conference room open and Bucky quickly stepped inside. It didn't take him long to notice Alice curled up in a ball in the corner. Bucky quickly realized what was happening, she was having a panic attack. 

Bucky kneeled in front of Alice but was only met with a terrified look at she stared at the glinting metal of his arm. Bucky quickly pulled his sweatshirt sleeve down over the metal, concealing the majority of the arm. Only then did Alices eyes meet his. 

"Hey. It's alright." Bucky said softly. He took Alices hand and pressed it to his chest. "Come on. Breathe with me. In and out." 

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Alices breathing slowed again, but tears still dripped from her blue eyes. 

Alice sniffled and Wiped her eyes. "Thank you, I'm Sorry about that." 

Bucky nodded slightly. "Don't apologize, it happens." Bucky moved so he was leaning against the wall to Alices left. "Do you know what triggered it? The panic attack, I mean?" He asked softly.

Alices paused for a moment and sniffled again. "I remembered a lot of stuff last night. Hydra stuff." She stated quietly. "It was before they had broken my memory, but they made me fight you. You were— strangling me, with the arm. I couldn't breathe."

Bucky's eyes looked sad and guilty. "I'm really sorry I did that to you." 

Alice sniffled and nodded. "It's not your fault. If anybody knows that better than you, it's me. We're not responsible for the actions HYDRA forced us to carry out." 

The two soldiers sat in silence for a moment. Before Alice broke it. 

"Hey Bucky?" She asked quietly. "Can I— can I hug you?" 

"Of course, if that'd make you feel better." 

Alice nodded. She turned and wrapped her arms around Bucky's neck, Bucky's arms wrapping protectively around Alices back. 

For the first time in a really long time, Alice felt safe.


	8. Chapter 8

Two more weeks passed. The Panic attacks weren't super frequent but they had happened once or twice more. Alice coped with the continuing nightmares by talking with Bucky, and some times with Natasha. It'd been helpful to talk with them, Bucky knew every thing she'd gone through, and Natasha, although never being a Winter Soldier, had worked with Hydra extensively during her time in the Red Room. 

But as time wore on, Alice became a bit bored. No, bored wasn't the right word. At first, she hadn't minded not having responsibilities to the team, she was still recovering and adapting to a new world and new life. But now, she was starting to feel useless. She wasn't contributing anything to the team, she wasn't cleared for missions yet, not that she could blame them. She had only been with the team for 4 months.

Alice walked into the gym and found, like she did most mornings, Natasha was already waiting for her. Alices training had mostly bounced back and forth between Natasha and Bucky, Bucky dealt with strength training and Natasha with combat. 

"Come on, Alice! You're late!" Shouted Natasha with a smile.

"I know. I know." Alice jogged to meet her. "My hair wouldn't cooperate this morning." 

Natasha chuckled. 

"Ok, Can we spar today?" Alice asked enthusiastically. "Peter taught me a new move yesterday and I want to try it." 

Natasha smiled. "Use it on Bucky later. I want to work on target practice today." 

"Target Practice?" Alice questioned. 

Natasha nodded. "I know it's boring, but we haven't covered it yet and I just need to see exactly how well you can shoot." 

Alice sighed. "Alright." 

Natasha led Alice through a door she had yet to have been through. Although she knew where almost everything was there were still a couple random things that she'd learn every once in a while. 

It was a shooting range. It was a small addition to the ground level floor of the compound. Large windows stretched along each wall, there was a small area for "viewing" before another glass wall that led to the actual shooting range

Alice noticed the large rack of weapons along the wall. Several types of small handguns and pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, and several bows. 

Natasha pulled a pistol out of the rack. "Just copy what I do to the best of your ability." Said Natasha. Alice nodded. 

Natasha fired two bullets, perfect bullseyes, before dropping the gun into her other hand and continuing to fire 4 more bullseyes. This was the type of thing Alice could do with her eyes closed. She executed the motions perfectly. 

For the next 45 minutes or so, Natasha continued to do similar stunts with the gun that got increasingly more complicated, they went through various other types of guns and bows. Alice didn't struggle that much with her aim. To be a world-class assassin, you kinda have to be a good shot with a lot of types of weapons. 

Natasha smirked slightly. "Yeah, didn't think that'd be an issue." Natasha dropped the un-loaded gun into the rack. Alice putting hers back also. 

Both women walked back out of the shooting range and back into the gymnasium. "Go get dressed and meet Steve and I in the kitchen." Said Natasha.

Alice nodded and jogged towards the elevator.

—————

Alice was dressed in her usual attire, a skirt and a blouse. As she stepped out of the elevator she could hear Natasha and Steve talking in the kitchen but when she walked in she was surprised to find both of them in combat gear. Steve had almost everything on with the exception of his helmet, but his shield was still proudly attached to his back. Natasha was wearing her usual skin-tight cat suit with her Widow belt and her second weapons belt around her hips. 

"Oh, did a mission come up?" Alice asked. 

Steve and Natasha turned as they just noticed Alice's presence. 

"Nope. But it's official business, so proper attire is required." Steve said, His usual calm, relaxed tone had been replaced with what the team referred to as his "Captain America voice". It was the tone he used in public appearances, but Alice had almost never seen him use it. 

"Oh, what did you need me for?" Alice asked, both of her teammate's stiff, professional postures putting Alice on edge. 

"You're coming with us. You're needed for this particular affair." Natasha's voice was softer than Steve's, but she was far from relaxed. 

"We should get going." Steve said. Natasha nodded and they both walked towards the elevator, Alice tailing behind them. 

The elevator took them down to the bottom floor and the large doors opened onto the small airstrip the compound had. The ramp to the quinjet was already down and the engine was running. 

"We're taking the jet?" Alice asked. 

Steve looked at her and nodded but didn't say anything. As soon as all three of them were on the jet the door closed behind them with a quiet metal clank. Steve immediately walked off to the cockpit, working on getting the plane going. 

"Is this your first time on a plane?" Natasha asked, her posture had relaxed a little bit but still not as much as normal. 

Alice nodded. 

"Well the jet is fast and we're not going far, we should be there in 15 minutes." 

The floor shifted on Alice's feet, indicating that the plane was lifting off the ground. Natasha sat down on one of the various seats along the side of the plane and pulled the seatbelt across her lap. Alice sat across from her and did the same. 

Natasha simply sat there quietly. The more time passed the more anxious Alice got. Was she in trouble for something? Were they kicking her out of the Avengers?

Alice jumped out of her thoughts as the felt the plane lurch as it landed. 

"Natasha? Where are we?" Alice asked nervously. 

"SHIELD Headquarters." Steve responded climbing out of the pilots seat. 

"Am I...in trouble for something?" 

"No, of course your not in trouble." Steve replied just as it clicked into his head why Alice would think that.

"Actually the exact opposite." Natasha said, smiling for the first time since Alice had met them in the kitchen.

"Huh?"

The door of the jet dropped down and both Steve and Natasha began to walk out without another word. 

Alice walked down the ramp after them. Alice saw two agents walk up to Steve and Natasha. Steve and Natasha each handed them small cards, Alice guessed were IDs. An agent suddenly appeared next to Alice and held out his hand. 

"Identification?" Asked the Agent 

"Oh I- I don't have one." Alice stuttered out 

"She's with us. Avengers Clearance. " Said Steve, his "Captain America" voice back. 

The Agent Nodded but still turned back to Alice, "I'll still need a name, Miss."

Alice cast a side glance at Steve who nodded slightly.

"Alice Roscoe." 

The agent nodded, typing something into the small tablet in his hand. "Ok, you're cleared." 

Alice let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and followed Steve and Natasha into the building. Just being at SHIELD headquarters made Alice slightly anxious, but she would say it was justified considering the last time she had been there she had been locked up in a cell. 

Steve and Natasha approached a desk where a young woman was sitting. 

"Hello Mr. Rogers, Miss Romanoff, how can I help you today?" asked the lady kindly. 

"We're here to see director Fury, regarding an Avengers matter." Steve replied.

"He'll be in, in a minute. You can go on in." The girl turned to Natasha. "And Miss Romanoff, I have the ID you ordered, I was about to ship it to the compound." 

"Hold on to it for me for a bit, I'll get it on our way out, Thanks Angie." Smiled Natasha.

"Of course, Miss Romanoff." 

Steve nodded as both him and Natasha approached the large wooden doors. Steve pushed open the door for Natasha and Alice walked in before following them inside and closing the door. 

Alice looked around the large office. There was a large wooden desk in front of where they were standing, with papers, notebooks and other various items placed on it. The wall behind the desk was made of entirely of glass, with allowed for a view over the city. Several bookshelves lined the walls filled with books, among other things. There were also various Plaques and photographs in random places on the walls. 

Alice stopped searching the room as she heard the door swing open. A man walked in, he had darker skin and no hair, with an eyepatch over his right eye. 

"Well, If it isn't the star spangled man with a plan." The man said as he walked around the other side of the desk. 

Alice quietly cleared her throat to disguise her laugh as the image of Steve in his "pajama suit" popped in to her head. 

"Alice, This is Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD." Steve introduced.

Alice Nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Fury" 

"So what can I do for the Avengers today?" Fury said, sitting down in the chair behind the desk. 

"We are here to clear Alice Roscoe for all Avengers-related missions." 

Alice's head snapped to look at Steve but she didn't say anything. 

Fury looked at Steve suspiciously. "After only 6 months?" 

"During the time she's been with the team she has proven to be an excellent fighter, a good teammate, and has given no reason for her to be a liability." Steve justified. 

Fury nodded. "Alright." 

He turned and opened a drawer to his desk, he pulled out a tablet and something that appeared to be a pen. He set both items on the desk. 

"we'll just need you to sign so we can add your name to the Avengers Initiative, and give you the proper clearance." Fury continued. 

Alice picked up the "pen" and signed on the thin line on the tablet. Fury took the tablet as soon as she put the pen down and set it aside. 

"Is that all?"

Steve nodded. 

"Then get out of my office, I have important things to take care of." 

Steve nodded again and walked towards the door. 

Natasha smiled cheekily at Fury on her way out. "Bye Nick!" 

"Goodbye Natasha." 

The three Avengers walked back into the lobby. Natasha approached Angie's desk and grabbed the small envelope sitting on the top of the counter. 

"Thanks again Angie." Smiled Natasha. 

"Anything for my favorite Avenger." Angie smirked

Natasha smiled and winked at the girl while Steve faked offense. 

Steve led the way back to the jet while Alice and Natasha trailed behind slightly.

"What's in the envelope?" Alice asked as Natasha ripped the small grey envelope open. 

Natasha pulled out a small white card and handed it to Alice. "It's your official Avengers ID. It's good to keep it on hand in case you ever run into trouble." 

Alice examined the card. On the Left side of the card was a photo that was taken shortly after she had been released from SHIELD custody. To the left was Alice's full name, date of birth, gender, and SHIELD security clearance. There was a thin barcode and series of numbers at the bottom which Alice guess were extra security precautions. 

The jet door closed behind them. 

"It's a good idea to have a place where you keep it. Steve and I usually keep ours in our uniforms, Bucky and Sam keep theirs in their wallets. Peter has a hidden compartment in his phone case. It's up to you." 

"Cool." Alice nodded. Although she had technically been an avenger for 4 months it now felt official, she would be able to go on missions and she really was a fully fledged avenger now. It felt good. 

"Natasha, you're flying back." Steve said. 

"Congrats Alice." Natasha patted Alice on the shoulder before walking to the cockpit.

It was only a few minutes before the plane was off the ground. Steve was checking something on his phone and Alice sat quietly. Suddenly Nick Fury's comment triggered an old memory of Alice's.

Alice began to quietly hum the tune of the song. "Who's strong and brave, here to save the American way?" 

Steve looked at Alice with an expression as to say 'really?' 

Alice smiled at him. "Who vows to fight, like a man, for what's right night and day?"

"Series E defense bonds. Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun." Steve mumbled under his breath. 

"Who will campaign door to door for America? Carry the flag shore to shore for America?" 

Steve join Alice in quietly singing the song. "From Hoboken to Spokane! The star spangled man with a plan!" 

Steve laughed breathily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alice, Why?" 

Alice shrugged. "We can't ignore there's a threat and a war we must win. Who'll hang a noose on those goose-stepping goons from Berlin?" 

Natasha's voice joined Alices from the Cockpit. "Who will indeed lead the call for America? Who'll rise and fall, give his all for America? Who's here to prove that we can!?" 

"The star spangled man with a plan!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha, sorry for that last part but I wanted to add it somewhere in this story and that was how I chose to do it.


	9. Chapter 9

Alice, Steve and Natasha walked into the Kitchen only to find Sam and Bucky sipping on cups of coffee. 

"Hey, There you guys are! Friday told you guys had taken the jet to SHIELD. What were you guys doing?" Bucky asked.

Steve and Natasha smiled. Natasha turned to Alice as Alice grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. 

"I don't know. Alice, what were we doing?" Natasha asked. 

Alice pulled her brand new ID out of her pocket and flashed it at Sam and Bucky. "Clearing me for all future missions." Alice smiled widely at her teammates. 

"Alright! Can't wait to see you kick some butt with those moves of yours on a mission" Smiled Sam. "Give me a high five." 

Sam held up a hand and Alice high-fived him before turning to Bucky, who seemed less excited than everyone else in the room. 

"Bucky, are we still sparring today?" Alice asked. 

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, why don't you go change cause I don't think you wanna spar in a skirt." Bucky gave her a crooked smile. 

Alice looked down at her outfit for a second before looking up to smile at Bucky. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll meet you in the gym in 15 minutes." 

Bucky nodded and Alice jogged out of the kitchen, Leaving Bucky, Sam, Steve and Natasha in the kitchen. As soon as Bucky was sure Alice was out of ear shot he snapped to look at Steve. 

"You cleared her for missions after 6 months!? Are you crazy?" Bucky snapped. 

This wasn't a reaction Steve had expected from Bucky. "Bucky, I know that you don't want her getting hurt but she's perfectly capable." 

Bucky's brow furrowed as the looked at Steve. 

"Look man, she can take any one of us in a fight. She can take down some normal thugs." Sam spoke reasonably. 

"We don't have guns and we aren't trying to kill her." Bucky argued. 

"Bucky, Alice wants to prove herself, I can tell that she is starting to feel useless. She needs this." Natasha spoke calmly.

"And I don't think you realize how anxious she gets when you guys are gone." Sam said. "Remember that mission the three of you and Clint went on a couple weeks ago? She paced the living room for nearly an hour before Peter and Wanda managed to distract her. You going on missions and leaving her behind stresses her out." 

"And you should know better than anyone what that type of stress does to someone." Steve added. 

Bucky thought about the nightmares he used to have about Steve getting in a fight or getting sick and never recovering. 

Bucky sighed. "Fine. But she stays with me for the first couple missions." 

Steve nodded, "I thought that would have been a good idea, Anyway. For both of you." 

"Good." Bucky said and stood up from the stool at the kitchen island. "I'm gonna go spar with Alice, I'll see you guys at Dinner." 

—————

Alice went to land a kick on Bucky's stomach but he reacted in time to grab her ankle and flip her onto her back. Bucky smirked down at Alice as he held her shoulders down to the mat. 

"My point." he smiled. 

"Yeah, I know." Alice said, with an exasperated smile. "Let me up." 

Bucky let go of Alice's shoulders and straightened up, allowing Alice to get to her feet. 

Both Alice and Bucky resumed their starting positions on opposite sides of the mat. 

"Okay, it's 4 - 4. Next point wins." 

Bucky nodded. Alice called it. "Go!" 

Both Bucky and Alice made steps forward but Bucky's bangs fell out of his stubby ponytail into his face. Alice took her opportunity to hook her leg behind Bucky's knees and pull him forward, Grabbing his arm and twisting out of the way so Bucky landed on his stomach on the mat, with Alice's foot holding him in place.

"I win." Alice said, Bucky could hear the smirk in her voice. 

"That's not fair." Bucky Argued. "My hair was in my face." 

Alice moved her foot of Bucky's back, allowing him to get up. "We never made rules against getting hair in your face."

Bucky sighed. "Fine, you win." 

"Yay!" 

Bucky and Alice slipped through the rubber bands of the mat, walking to the bench right next to it. Bucky sipped on his water bottle as Alice began to unwrap her hands. 

"You know." Alice started. "If you cut your hair, you wouldn't have that problem." 

"Yeah, I always meant to get it cut short again, but I never found the time to. And it's not like anyone in the compound knows how to cut hair." Bucky replied. 

"I mean, I could do it. If you wanted to." Alice added, to Bucky's surprise. 

"Really?" Bucky asked, with a cocked eyebrow. 

"I had a neighbor that taught me so I could cut my brothers hair, after my mom passed away. Your hair is about the same texture and thickness as theirs, I could probably do it." 

"That'd be great." Bucky smiled. 

Alice was suddenly very excited.

—————

Alice knocked on Bucky's door with the necessary supplies in hand and the door swung open a second later. He was wearing jeans, but his shirt was off and his hair was still dripping wet. Alice had thought she had given him plenty of time to shower and dry off, but she supposed not.

Bucky smiled, letting Alice in and closing the door behind her. "Sorry, the warm water felt really good." 

Alice laughed. "it's fine. Don't dry your hair completely, it'll make it easier to cut." 

Bucky nodded and walked back into the bathroom to grab his shirt and dry his hair. Alice took the opportunity to look around the room. It was decorated very similarly to Alice's, except Alice's was decorated with periwinkle-blue and Bucky's room was more of a dusty dark blue. Alice guessed that Bucky's room had also been pre decorated like her's, and he had simply never bothered to switch it up. One big difference between their rooms though was that the shelves that were still empty in Alice's room, were full of pictures in Bucky's. Alice looked over all of the pictures. 

Alice recognized that Steve was in the majority of them, both old, black and white pictures that were taken in the 30s and newer photos that had color. Sam, Natasha, Wanda, and Clint were in a number of the newer pictures. There was also one full team picture, which Alice knew had been taken some time ago because Peter was missing from the photo. 

Then, one photo caught Alice's attention. Alice picked up the photo to get a closer look at it. It was a older photo, it was of Bucky and a girl Alice didn't recognize. Bucky had his arm slung around the girl's shoulders and both were laughing. Looking at Bucky's face in the photo warmed Alice's heart a little bit. He looked so happy. He was still happy in the other photos too, but it was more of a careless joy. Alice wondered who the girl was, she was obviously someone special. Probably a girlfriend. 

Door to the bathroom opened and Bucky stepped out as Alice hastily put the photo back where she'd found it. Bucky furrowed his brows at Alice. 

"What are you doing?" He asked. 

"I was just looking at the photos on the shelf."

"Okay, cool. You ready?" 

Alice nodded and walked into the bathroom, grabbing the supplies she'd brought off the bed. 

The chair was set up in front of Bucky's bathroom mirror, Alice set down her supplies, some of which were hers and others she'd borrowed from Steve and Natasha. Alice grabbed the comb from the basket and began brushing it through Bucky's hair. 

It took her a bit to work her way through all of the knots, but she got there eventually. She grabbed the scissors from the basket but paused and look at Bucky in the mirror. 

"So, just regulation length, right? Short on the sides, a bit more on top?" Alice asked. 

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great." 

"Ok, I'm going to start by taking a lot of length off it, and then I will clean it up. Okay?" 

Bucky nodded again. Alice got to work. She cut off most of the length until all of his hair was about to the top of his ears. The pulled the part on the top that was going to be a bit longer up into a clip before grabbing the electric razor she'd borrowed from Steve and shaving the sides. 

Alice was much slower and more careful with the razor than when she had simply been taking of length. Her mind wandered slightly. She hadn't missed Bucky's unenthusiastic attitude earlier and it was bugging her slightly. Did Bucky not want her on missions? Did he not trust her to be a good teammate? No, stop it. It was something Natasha had told her, was not to let the thoughts spiral. Say them out loud, talk about them. 

"Alice? Are you alright?" Bucky asked, looking at her face in the mirror. 

Alice sighed. "Do you trust me to be a good teammate on missions?" Her tone wasn't accusatory, but the edge of offense that Alice hadn't meant to add. 

"Why wouldn't I trust you?" Bucky asked. 

"Just earlier. You seemed upset that Steve approved me." 

"It's not that I don't trust you. I just..." Bucky paused for second, looking for the right words. "I worry about you."

Alice gave Bucky a questioning look. 

Bucky sighed. "I feel like I should be protecting you. And I'm scared that if you go on missions that you are going to get injured, or worse. And there's nothing I'm going to be able to do about it. You just remind me so much of Rebecca. 

"Who's Rebecca?" 

Bucky stopped for second, as if he hadn't meant to say the last part. "Uh, she's my little sister. Was my little sister. She's been gone for a while now." 

"The girl in the photo. On the shelf." Alice said, as it clicked in her head. 

Buck nodded. "Yeah. You're a lot like her. Kind and compassionate, but full of fire. Just wanted to prove herself." 

Alice smiled and she felt her cheeks heat up slightly at the compliment. The atmosphere was emotional and Alice quickly tried to change it. She picked up the razor that she guessed she had set down at one point. 

"Okay. Let me finish your hair so you don't look like a rag doll." Alice and Bucky both chuckled. 

Alice continued shaving the sides. She then cut and cleaned up the top before blow drying and brushing it out. She swept the last strand of hair out of his face.

"Okay, you're done." Alice Smiled. 

Bucky examined himself in the mirror. "I love it!" He smiled widely.

"Really?" 

"Yeah, I love it!"

"Yay, I'm so glad you like it." Alice smiled widely at Bucky before she grabbed the brush and dust pan she'd brought in earlier and swept the hair up from the floor. She stood up and dumped the hair in the trash. 

**Sergeant Barnes, Ms Romanoff asked me to inform you that dinner is almost ready.**

"Great FRIDAY, we'll be down in a minute." Bucky responded. 

Alice shrugged at Bucky. "Perfect timing." 

Bucky chuckled. 

Alice and Bucky left the room, deciding that Alice would grab the supplies after dinner. They both got in the elevator and rode down to the kitchen and lounge floor. 

Someone wolf whistled as they walked into the kitchen. 

"Lookin' good, Barnes." Natasha smirked. 

"That's a look nobody's seen since the 40s." Sam laughed. 

"I feel like I should be calling your "sergeant" with this haircut." Wanda smiled. "Looks good on you." 

Bucky looked at Steve, who hadn't said anything yet. Bucky wasn't sure was Steve would think of it being like it was in the 40s. 

"Whatcha think, Stevie?" Bucky said, his old Brooklyn accent coming through. 

Steve's face melted. "It's almost like you're your old self again. I like it.” 

"Who finally cut it?" Clint said, interrupting the moment. 

“Alice did." Bucky said, nodding his head it Alices direction. 

Natasha laughed. "Well it's about time he got rid of the mop hair." 

Alice and Bucky laughed.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the haircut thing probably seems very random. I had originally meant to write this whole story with short hair Bucky but I got several chapters in and never mentioned it, so here was my way of fudging it in.


End file.
